June 21, 2003 - Urban and Regional Planning: David Blaise lives with his wife Jennifer Fitzgerald in western Honduras where they both serve as Peace Corps Volunteers in the area of Municipal Development.

David Blaise lives with his wife Jennifer Fitzgerald in western Honduras where they both serve as Peace Corps Volunteers in the area of Municipal Development. The town is 1,750 kilometers from the couple's home in Tallahassee, Florida. Jennifer and David have successfully integrated themselves into their community and the municipal government with which they work. Their work includes a variety of projects that have increased the municipality's administrative efficiency and satisfied expressed community needs.

In December 2002, the couple and their adopted community celebrated the completion of a landmark development plan. The plan defines goals and objectives to guide the city's sustainable development. It will also help secure funding from donor institutions and the Honduran government.

To complete the strategic development plan, Jennifer and David introduced a community-wide participatory approach, which involved more than 500 local citizens representing various communities in order to define the municipality's plan of action. This strategy received overwhelming support during its creation and finalization. More than 200 of the involved community members were in attendance when the plan was presented to national authorities and international donors on December 5, 2002. Jennifer, David, the mayor, community leaders, and municipal employees spoke during the ceremony.

Besides the strategic plan, which is a great asset to the city's future, some of Jennifer and David's contributions to the city have already been realized. For instance, they designed, developed, and implemented a municipal information system consisting of five new computers, a local area network, and a database that integrates tax control, treasury procedures and accounting.

In addition, Jennifer and David helped develop the hiring criteria and then trained a systems manager in order to ensure project sustainability. They also trained government employees on the appropriate uses of Arc View Graphical Information System and Global Positioning System technology. These integrated systems have improved efficiency in the municipality and increased municipal revenues. Revenues within the first three months of implementation have already paid for the initial costs of the computer hardware and software three times over.

According to David, "Serving as a married couple in Peace Corps has made our experience here much richer and has also strengthened our relationship. Being married in the Peace Corps means bringing with you someone who can support you during challenging times and share with you all the new experiences. It has also allowed us to take on more ambitious projects because we can collaborate in our work."

Jennifer agrees and adds, "We've been able to provide needed technical assistance to our community. At the same time, our hosts have shared with us their experiences and perspectives regarding planning and development. Working extensively in another culture, in a foreign language and directly with community members has given us experiences that would be impossible to gain outside of the Peace Corps."

Prior to joining the Peace Corps, David attended Florida State University (FSU) where he earned a B.A. in International Affairs and an M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning. While living at FSU in Tallahassee he worked in planning and environmental research at Florida State University.

Jennifer, also an FSU graduate grew up in a military family and moved frequently. Born in the Philippines, she lived in more than seven states. Jennifer earned both her B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning at FSU. Before joining the Peace Corps, she worked at the Florida State University Institute for Science and Public Affairs.

Jennifer and David married prior to joining the Peace Corps. After completing their service, they plan to continue working in international development and hope to make volunteering and community service a lifetime commitment.

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Story Source: Urban and Regional Planning

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Honduras; Municipal Development